Remember the American animated environmentalist Superhero television series –Captain Planet and the Planeteers of 90’screated by Ted Turner, Barbara Pyle and Robert Larkin III? We are in the midst of a climate crisis and it’s time that every individual turns into planeteers. At this juncture every global citizen needs to come forward to play their bit towards the environment.
The single-use plastic and CO2 emissions are the biggest reasons for global pollution and the equation with plastic is simple – If you can’t reuse it refuse it. We can completely stop plastic pollution moving to sources that are not hazardous to our planet.
We understand that there are lot and lot of people who comprehends the global issues like Climate change and Global warming, and want to contribute towards better future. We also understand that not everyone can switch to green energy sources or Energy Star appliances, but with small changes we can make our home environment friendly.
These changes are budget-friendly and they don’t take lot of time, at same time they are efficient and can turn your home into an eco-friendly place, so while you are working from home during this pandemic you can still be a Samurai and save this planet..
So Samurais here are quick small changes that can make your home eco-friendly:
Plants and Herbs
Yes, religiously try to bring in as many pants as you can, as they are effective for indoor air cleaning ,not only that, they make your home more welcoming. If space doesn’t allow you to bring these plants, at-least grow herbs, they take small space and at same time turn your home clean and green. You can plant these herbs in small pots, broken cups or bowls and keep them inside the house, close to a sunny window. Where you can, grow your own plants — even if they’re not ‘practical’, having plants around the house helps produce more oxygen, and they consume CO2, so you’re doing a little bit more to help with the carbon emissions crisis.
ALSO READ: Working from Home? These plants can help breathe pollution free air at your home
Do you know the biggest advantage of having herbs in kitchen or plants at your home? They will increase the aesthetic sense of your home.
Switch to LED bulbs from regular bulbs
Yes! Government has been loud enough to ask everyone switch to LED bulbs, it can be a bit pricey, but some energy companies are providing this as a free service … Investing in the right energy-efficient light bulbs makes a huge difference. You will not only use less electricity but you will also make your home more environmentally-friendly and brighter. Believe me, even if incandescent bulbs look tempting, LED bulbs are the better alternative. They last longer, are eco-friendly, and they help you save money in the long run.
It is worth noting that most light bulbs can’t be recycled, so only change them when they stop working.
Cut down
Let’s gulp in some facts with toxic and honest truth that we consume far too much than what is required.
I am sure many times you bought a bread loaf and you forgot just to see it go moldy.
How many times you gifted something to your near and dear once wrapped in a plastic wrapper or a bag knowing well that they’d never use it and throw it away?
It’s time we stop all these nonsense right away!
Before buying anything and everything put real thought all the time.
Ask yourself these four questions Do I need this? Are we going to really use it? Purpose to buy this? and What purpose does this really serve?
So now when you have answer and start actually considering what you are buying, instead of impulsively grabbing something off of a shelf —even that chocolate or chips strategically placed by the marketer — you’ll find that you buy a lot less, you save few bucks at the end of the day along with saving harmful CO2 emissions when it (or, at least, its packaging) is dumped into a landfill.
Reprocess
Before you dump your old, unused products like -old t-shirt with stains of curry or masalas, think how you can reuse it ,may be it can be used in cleaning around the house : as a cleaning rag, as a duster, re-purposed napkins, hair towel or anything that you can do out of it .
In India specifically these old t-shirts or any other cloths can be helpful in buying things that last longer — they can be more expensive, but can save your money in the long run, and will take longer to get to the dreaded landfill.
There are so many things that you can do to keep the climate and the environment intact for future generation.
A little bit of change in our daily routine, but that’s worth it knowing to the fact that we are doing to help next generation breathe fresh air and live in our world.
Make your own natural cleaning products
There are lots of brands selling cleaning production in plastic containers, what happens to these containers once they are used? Yeah! You throw it out… because of lack of recycling policy they pileup and even started contaminating our water and surrounding. So it’s better we make our own natural cleaning product, in this way we can reuse the plastics that we have.
Natural cleaning products are as effective as the regular ones. In fact they don’t contain any harmful chemicals that are bad for the environment and your health.
Here are few tips we found while surfing through, but do your own research or browse through to find some that suits you:
Make Room spray: Add 2 cups of warm water and essential oil (of the smell you liek — lavender is great for when you’re powering down for the day)
Window cleaner: Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 2 cups of warm water and tea tree oil
Anti-bacterial cleaner: 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 1 tbsp of baking soda, 1 litre of hot water and orange essential oils
Beside the five points that we have mentioned above, here are few more things that you can do to be more eco-friendly:
- Chose cloths napkins over paper napkins
- Just walk down to shop instead of driving or getting public transport, this will save the fossil fuel and increase your fitness at same time.
- Stop using single use plastic bottles, instead switch to a refillable water bottle like that of copper… it is good for health.
- Carry you jute bags
- User straw made out of leafs (not sure if its available in your area) and stop using plastic straws.
- Use cotton or plant/beeswax wraps for your food instead of plastic wrap or aluminium foil
- Compost your food waste instead of throwing it in the bin (it’s better for your plants!)
- Donate instead of throwing away
- Request online bills instead of paper bills
Let us know if you like it or have more tips to share, we would love to update our content! Write us at [email protected]